Hollywood legend Tony Curtis dies

Actor Tony Curtis arrives at the premiere of the newly restored feature film "A Star Is Born" in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
Credit: PA

Star of 'Spartacus' and 'Some Like It Hot' was 85

Tony Curtis, one of Hollywood‘s biggest screen icons, has died, it was announced today (September 30). He was 85.

The cause of death is as yet unknown, but a spokesperson for his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis confirmed his passing to Etonline.com.

Curtis made his big screen debut in 1949 and appeared in a series of movies throughout the ’50s, before winning acclaim in the drama The Sweet Smell of Success. He was Oscar nominated for his role in Sidney Poitier‘s The Defiant Ones in 1958.

He then appeared alongside Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder‘s classic comedy Some Like It Hot, in which he played a jazz musician on the run. He famously described working with Monroe as “like kissing Hitler”, but later insisted that the quote was a joke.

His other notable films include The Vikings, Spartacus and The Boston Strangler.

He led a colourful personal life, marrying six times.

When asked in 2008 what he would like to have written on his gravestone, Curtis said “Nobody’s Perfect” – a reference to the closing line of Some Like It Hot.